1997 Buick Park Avenue Base from North America - Comments

13th Jun 2008, 12:31

I'm 20 and own a 95' park avenue. I average 21-22mpg mixed city driving and 31mpg on trips. The only time I average under 20mpg is when I having racing moments (full throttle acceleration,90mph+). Even then I get 18mpg, so the EPA estimates are what the say they are, just estimates. Also I wouldn't mind getting another Park Ave (supercharged this time) when this one dies. BTW I have 138,000 miles on mine.

13th Jun 2008, 17:52

I checked my 2004 brochure and the EPA figures were 18/28. I have a '99 and am currently averaging over 27 mpg (according to the driver information center). It is not unusual to get over 30 mpg using the cruise control on the freeway. Buicks with the 3.8 are known for getting great fuel economy.

13th Jun 2008, 18:57

You can dispute my mileage all you want, 5000 miles of 99 percent but city driving and my average is 23.2 miles per gallon. The fuel info button tells me that so I'm not pulling it out of my butt.

The highway trips are few in far between (100 miles round trip the days I don't carpool to work) I get an instant economy of 29.8-31 depending on my speed, air and cruise control. A lot of people are shocked when they see a big guy covered with tattoos getting out of a classy Buick. But that just adds to the fun. Leave the ricers to the kids with parents to bail them out of the sh*tcreek. I work too damn hard for my money to keep up on that stuff.

Bottom line, get a Buick.and I've seen more younger guys driving them lately, and more old guys in Civics then I ever thought. You can get them affordably,and if you need parts there's no shortage of wrecked ones with good parts.

15th Jun 2008, 12:11

Maybe it's just me, but I don't think gas or how your car runs has changed. The gallons used + trip odometer are exactly dead on with what the computer is reading. The only things that have changed is 75 dollars to fill the tank. But in order to roll with the big dogs, you gotta pay I suppose.

15th Jun 2008, 14:25

It is not valid to dispute his reported mileage just because it is higher than EPA estimates. I have beaten the EPA estimates (even the old, ideal ones) on every car that I have ever driven, whether Dodge, Ford, or GM. I generally beat the ideal EPA estimates by 5 mpg. I also hand calculate, rather than relying on a trip computer.

I would rather that the window stickers still reported the ideal condition estimates, because for me, those are closer to realistic, knowing that I can beat them. Now with these revised estimates, they all seem dismally low to me, and unrealistic.

15th Jun 2008, 18:09

15:30, yes a loaded Park Avenue could cost close to $41,000 in 2005 depending on options. A steal when compared to the DeVille or Town Car.

And yes, the current blue book value for an '05 Park Avenue is about $18-19,000. But Kelley Blue Book does not figure in the low miles. Get the value on a car with 40,000 miles and compare to one with 5,000. The value would be about exactly the same when of course it really is not.

I agree that $25,000 is pretty pricey for a 3 year old Buick, but these cars are rare and I would be willing to pay it for a pristine one. I have a '99 and I know what a gem I would be getting, and I know it would serve me well for years to come.

19th Jun 2008, 13:08

I'm the person who posted the original review. And today (June 19th) I had to sell my beloved Toyota Tacoma back to Toyota.

So I started driving Bertha, and guess what, upon turning on to my street I was greeted by a horrible shaking noise and loss of acceleration. I checked to make sure I hadn't blown a tire. All 4 are fine. Then I get back in to try to pull it home, and the shaking starts but no movement. Park doesn't even work; I had to set the E brake.

I may have just made a huge mistake buying this car. Thankfully its under warranty. And I haven't even made ONE payment on it yet.

21st Jun 2008, 13:04

21st Jun 2008, 15:20

The price you paid is very low for the mileage on the car. I would seriously wonder if the dealership changed the gage cluster out with one with much lower miles. Your car could have a lot more miles than you think. Usually if something seems to good to be true it is. Overall, Buicks are great buys but I would recommend buying one off of a Buick lot instead of a budget used car lot.

22nd Jun 2008, 13:35

It has a clean CarFax, one owner. And around here all Buicks are right around that price. The elderly are switching to smaller cars, so SUVs and big cars are a dime a dozen, including a 45,000 mile 04 Dodge Durango for 5 grand.

Most Park Avenues run around 5-7 grand with that mileage. And the dealership I bought it from is accredited, and has been in business since 1978. So I doubt he's out to screw me over. Especially since he's picking up the tab.

It is 11 years old after all, and things do wear out. I have however begun looking for an aftermarket warranty; I just hope I don't need it.

3rd Aug 2008, 20:08

15:30, I've got news for you. I just purchased a 2005 Park Avenue and the original window sticker had a list price of over $42,000. It only lacks the Gran Touring suspension and the 12 disc trunk mounted cd changer. By the way it is not an Ultra either.

11th Aug 2008, 18:37

I picked my car up in Ohio and drove it home to Indiana. According to the Driver Information Center I was getting 33 mpg. I don't know how accurate that is because I didn't check it myself but my guess is pretty accurate. My '99 averaged 29 on the same trip and that was checking myself after a re-fill. I don't get why Buick dropped the LeSabre and Park Avenue for the Lucerne. They got better fuel economy and were better looking. I just don't get GM.

3rd Oct 2008, 17:48

We bought a 1997 Buick Park Avenue Ultra with 94,000 miles in 2004.

I got onto this website looking for clues to a recent vibration that seems to be coming from the drivers side dash area. It has 196,000 miles now; as it is a VERY comfortable car, we would like to fix the irritating noise. Any clues?

Gas mileage averages 26-28 mpg, better than many smaller cars and much roomier. I too have wondered why Buick has retired this model.

21st Nov 2008, 20:03

I own my second Park Avenue, a 2005 which I purchased this year with less than 17,000 miles. My previous one was a '99 which I traded with over 140,000 miles and I never had any problems with the drive train. I do wish that some of the electrical components were as reliable though. On the whole though, these cars are quite reliable and very pleasing to own and drive. Wish they still made them.